Retail will become stronger, channel agnostic and more agile to adapt to rapid, disruptive, changes. Stores will become inspirational spaces, morphed into lively, immersive environments. Retailers will engage with consumers differently, interacting with them at their preferred touchpoints. While businesses are being digitally-enabled, the key role of people will be at the heart of every organisation. There is a sweeping cultural change in mindset towards promoting bright start-ups in order to build an entrepreneurial community. MRF 2018 will bring together powerful speakers and engaging discussions around future proofing retail.

Meet Our Speakers

Be a part of Middle East’s biggest retail congregation and learn directly from retail visionaries in our conference sessions.

What lies beyond 2020 is up for imagination, but it is established that retail will become more engaging and immersive. Human touch will play a pivota...

What lies beyond 2020 is up for imagination, but it is established that retail will become more engaging and immersive. Human touch will play a pivotal role, while robotics and automation will have its own importance. Transparency will be valued. Data will be used in smarter ways to tailor personalised experiences. Silos will break down between channels and departments within businesses. There will be more collaboration. Retail has been disrupted and will see more disruptive innovation. Our opening Keynote Address will set the pace for the two-day conference with a discussion on the culture of change to remain prepared for the unseen at the turn of the decade.

Arun Bruce, Partner and Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group

The current time in retail is very exciting and challenging. It’s time for great transformation for businesses that have been around for decades. Th...

The current time in retail is very exciting and challenging. It’s time for great transformation for businesses that have been around for decades. The rise of e-commerce, particularly, has rendered the business of retail more challenging for traditional retailers. Attracting and retaining customers have become more challenging than ever before. Sales strategies have changed drastically; time-to-market has become faster. Inventory management has become challenging. Consumers are looking for more engagement, necessitating retailers to ramp up their digital efforts and create immersive in-store experience. This session will bring together companies and people that have been part of retail for decades. They will share what it takes to survive and thrive in a highly competitive retail environment like the Middle East.

The presentation will focus on the crucial role of architecture/design in retail – enlivening store environment, designing retail spaces aesthetical...

The presentation will focus on the crucial role of architecture/design in retail – enlivening store environment, designing retail spaces aesthetically and sustainably, developing high engagement spaces to convert footfall into sales and making spaces digitally engaging.

Retail will become stronger, channel agnostic and more agile to adapt to rapid, disruptive, changes. Stores will become inspirational spaces, morphed ...

Retail will become stronger, channel agnostic and more agile to adapt to rapid, disruptive, changes. Stores will become inspirational spaces, morphed into lively, immersive environments. Retailers will engage with consumers differently, interacting with them at their preferred touchpoints. While businesses are being digitally-enabled, the key role of people will be at the heart of every organisation. This year we will chat with CEOs who have positively disrupted the regional retail landscape and how they are future proofing their businesses.

Confirmed speakers

Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen, CEO, NOVO Cinemas

Kanchan Kulkarni, Founder, KARA

Mashal Waqar, COO & Co-founder, The Tempest (Moderator)

Kanwal Sarfraz, Co-founder, Wadi.com

Kunal Kapoor, CEO, The Luxury Closet

Matthieu Guinard, CEO, Glambox Middle East

Mona Ataya, CEO and Founder, Mumzworld

Nada Alawi, Founder, Annada

Saad Umerani, Co-Founder & CEO, Protein Bakeshop

Shafeena Yusuffali, CEO, Tablez Food Company

15:30 - 16:00 Fireside Chat

It’s a mistake to stop believing

Join the founders of home-grown brand Wild Peeta to know about their adventure, so far, and get inspired.

...

Join the founders of home-grown brand Wild Peeta to know about their adventure, so far, and get inspired.

Mohammed & Peyman Parham Al Awadhi,
Co-founders, Wild Peeta

Peggy Li, Managing Partner, sps: affinity (Moderator)

16:00 - 17:15 Panel discussion

Blurring the line between spaces

Store closures, overcapacity and non-engaging retail mix are among big challenges faced by retail. However, it’s not all gloom and doom, as retailer...

Store closures, overcapacity and non-engaging retail mix are among big challenges faced by retail. However, it’s not all gloom and doom, as retailers and real estate developers are endeavouring to breathe fresh energy into retail to stimulate growth. It could be leveraging in-store technology to spice up bricks-and-mortar – enabling online browsing, purchase and checkout from the store. Another vital area is to have the right tenant mix – retail, F&B and entertainment – within the retail space. Events and iconic buildings add up to the mix. This session will focus on ways to create an enchanting shopping ambience by building a strong tenant-landlord relationship.

The recent taxation regime, opening of cinemas after 35 years and women’s right to drive are among the far-reaching changes that Saudi Arabia saw. T...

The recent taxation regime, opening of cinemas after 35 years and women’s right to drive are among the far-reaching changes that Saudi Arabia saw. The Kingdom is already making big strides to reduce dependence on oil revenues. Retail and leisure and entertainment sectors are witnessing significant changes, including increased job opportunities for the local Saudi population and widening of amusement portfolio. Our Saudi Arabia-focused session will bring together experts from the Kingdom for an engaging discussion on on-going and upcoming legislative changes that will have far-reaching impact on retail, leisure and entertainment, real estate and consumer behaviour.

Food is a true connector. If done well, food businesses thrive. And to do well, food businesses must offer great food and create memorable experiences...

Food is a true connector. If done well, food businesses thrive. And to do well, food businesses must offer great food and create memorable experiences. No wonder, in the retail real estate business, two words – dining and entertainment – are used incessantly. Smart utilisation of space, better guest interaction and a comfortable, entertaining ambience are areas that food businesses look at keenly. In addition, food businesses are also using technology to their advantage to increase efficiency and better interact with customers. In the current retail landscape underpinned by high rentals, stiff competition and everyday disruption, what are food businesses doing to remain ahead of the curve? Our F&B Conclave will focus on all these areas and beyond. What’s more, for the first time ever at MRF, we will have a select group of industry insiders at the conclave that will vote for the most interesting food business based on the presentations and panel discussion. The ‘smartest’ F&B concept will be felicitated with the coveted RetailME Award.

The role of bricks-and-mortar is rapidly evolving in the current retail landscape. Online plays a pivotal role in retail sales. But one isn’t replac...

The role of bricks-and-mortar is rapidly evolving in the current retail landscape. Online plays a pivotal role in retail sales. But one isn’t replacing the other. While the Digital Native and Millennial customers seek a physical point of contact, the Gen X and even Baby Boomers are open to shopping online. The discussion has slowly shifted to evolving and adapting the physical environment, and products, with digital touchpoints to meet the current retailing – and consumer – needs. It is no longer about physical points of sale closing, but more about how ‘smart’, ‘experiential’ and ‘differentiated’ they are becoming to address the connected consumer. It is more about evolving and perfecting the business models, sometimes even disrupting them. This session will discuss how rules of retailing are changing, becoming more nimble and flexible to ensure preparedness for the next big change.

Confirmed speakers

Abhijeet Paudwal, Chief Marketing Officer, Amrut Software

Ashish Panjabi, COO, Jacky's Retail LLC

Nagham Akileh, E-commerce Director, OMD (Moderator)

Dharmin Ved, CEO – E-commerce, 6th Street

Majed M Al Tahan, CEO, Danube Online

Stephen Graham Holbrook, Deputy CEO, Kamal Osman Jamjoom Group

Vic Bageria, Chief Visionary Officer, Xpandretail

Vijay Talreja, Co-founder & Director, Adapty

15:00 - 15:45 Panel discussion

‘Phygitalising’ retail

The shopping experience discussion has slowly shifted to evolving and adapting the physical environment – and products – with digital touchpoints ...

The shopping experience discussion has slowly shifted to evolving and adapting the physical environment – and products – with digital touchpoints to meet the current retailing – and consumer – needs. This session will bring together mavericks who are encouraging retailers to think differently, think omnichannel. The discussion will hover around how rules of retailing are changing, becoming more nimble and flexible to ensure preparedness for the next big change.

Conventional rules no longer apply and straitjacketed ideas are no good anymore. It’s time to step outside the box for a bit. That’s where the alt...

Conventional rules no longer apply and straitjacketed ideas are no good anymore. It’s time to step outside the box for a bit. That’s where the alternate retail spaces come in, and these spaces are supporting home-grown businesses to scale up.

Idea is the starting point. That idea needs nurturing to germinate into a concrete entity. It takes grit, strategic thinking and honesty to build a bu...

Idea is the starting point. That idea needs nurturing to germinate into a concrete entity. It takes grit, strategic thinking and honesty to build a business, irrespective of the size. Since the last few years, a lot of agencies – governmental and non-governmental – have come up to support the development of the local ecosystem in the region. But a lot is yet to be done. It is relatively expensive to start a business here. Bankruptcy laws and ownership rights could be challenging. Not to forget, the fear of failure, albeit much reduced now. While some failures might be stumbling blocks to overcome, others might even end up in shutting shop. However, the entrepreneurial spirit mustn’t die. Our start-up conclave will focus on entrepreneurs who have turned their dreams into reality. That’s not all; the best start-up concept will be felicitated with the coveted RetailME Award.

GOLD PARTNER

I really liked the format of the sessions. It was highly insightful than just being a presentation overload

Mona Ataya, CEO, Mumzworld.com

Consistently high quality in speaker line-up and overall event organisation – MRF is one of our favourite events of the year

Louay Moursel, AZADEA Group

The event was well-managed & well-organised

Lennard Otto, CEO, IMG Worlds of Adventure

It was a really good layout this year. The event was well attended, which was nice to see. In the upcoming editions, we would love to discuss more global retail trends

Garry Wells, property manager, Lush Middle East

The event was very well organised.

AbdulKhader Pattillath, Regional IT director, LSH Holding Co.

It was an excellently coordinated and well-hosted event

Steve S Odak, CEO, iMarketVend inc. USA (MRF 2014)

“Every year MRF is very exciting, attracting the top brass from retail together” – “Every year MRF is very exciting, attracting the top brass from retail together”

Alasdair Lennox, Executive Creative Director, EMEA, Fitch (MRF 2014)

“Thank you for inviting me to be part of a panel discussion and a jury member to judge the Images RetailME Awards. I very much enjoyed the experience and trust to have made a positive contribution. We look forward to supporting you next year as well”

Rajiv Suri, CEO, Majid Al Futtaim Fashion (MRF 2014)

“It was a great gathering. Thank you for organising the conference with a very relevant theme. Well done! It was very useful listening to the speakers and CEOs – in our research for a perfect omni channel strategy”